This lets users bring up all kinds of functions, such as volume, play, rewind and more. But its scope extends way beyond that.

Its purpose changes depending on which app you're in. So in the Safari browser it can show a list of bookmarks, for example. Or in Photos it can bring up a list of editing tools for tweaking your pictures.

The iPhone 8 would obviously have a lot less space for such a 'function area'. So it would be intriguing to see what Apple could cram in there.

The wouldn't make the handset any bigger than a standard iPhone 7, however, despite packing in a much bigger screen.

The overall display area of the handset would be 5.8 inches, with 5.15 inches being the physical OLED screen. The 'function area' would sit within this at the bottom.

Kuo claims Apple will replace the current fingerprint scanner with "other biometric technologies", though there's no word on what these will be.

Apple is rumoured to launch three new iPhones in September. It's likely this 'function area' would only feature on the highest-end model, which is rumoured to cost over $1,000.

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